Skeletons in the Closet
by moidnighteye16142
Summary: Ever since his arrival in Summer Bay Kyle has been hiding something from his brothers. But with the arrival of a mysterious man from his past will the secret he has fought so hard to keep be revealed?


Brax, Heath and Casey were all sitting on the sofa in the living room watching the basketball when there was a knock at the door. Heath, being the closest to the door, got up from the couch muttering angrily to himself about being pulled away from the game.

'Hi I'm Greg Carter' said the stranger at the door.

'Heath Braxton,' replied Heath 'can I help you'

'Well yes I hope you can, I'm here looking for a Kyle Bennett. Do you know where he is?'

'What do you want with Kyle?' asked Heath.

'I just want to talk to him.' said Greg.

'What about?' Asked Brax who had gotten up from the couch to see this Greg for himself.

'Well aren't I allowed to just see the kid he is my family after all!' he replied.

'You're not his family we are he's our brother...' said Casey.

'Ha ha! You must be joking you're not Kyle's brother!' laughed Greg.

'We're not joking- now who the hell are you to Kyle other than just Greg Carter!?' Exclaimed Brax.

'I'm his step-dad...' replied Greg.

'What Kyle never told us that he had a step-dad!' Said Heath shocked at the revelation.

'Well frankly I'm not surprised he didn't mention me he never really liked me, he was a mamma's boy then she died when he was five and he kinda went off the rails. He would constantly stay out late and sometimes he didn't come home for days and then returned with no explanation whatsoever! Then finally on the day he finished high school he took off and he hasn't come back since its taken me all this time to track him down!' Greg explained 'So do you know where he is!'

'Oh, yeah sorry I guess Kyle will probably be back in...well any moment now he just finished his shift at Angelo's,' said Casey 'and there he is.' he said having spotted Kyle coming round the corner.

'Hey guys how's the game going?' asked Kyle as he walked through the door not noticing Greg standing there.

'Well hello there Kyle, long time no see.' said a smirking Greg.

As soon as Kyle caught sight of Greg all the colour drained from his face as he remembered all the things this man had done to him and let others do to him all for sake of a quick high.

'What are you doing here!?' Asked Kyle, 'How the hell did you find me!'

'Oh come on Kyle its not like you were that hard to find!' Exclaimed Greg 'anyway I just wanted to see my son what's so wrong about wanting to relive all the father son times we had?'

'You know exactly what's wrong with that!' Said Kyle 'Well you've seen me, now leave!'

'Hey Kyle your step-dad has come all this way just to spend time with you!' Said Brax 'Show some respect!'

'Yeah Kyle listen to your friend over here!' Said Greg. 'Besides I'm only here to collect what you owe me and until I get that I'm staying here. And who knows maybe I'll like it enough that I'll actually stay!'

'Well there's not enough room here for you so you can get a caravan at the park and stay there!' Snapped Kyle

'No, no Kyle that's fine you can stay with us!' Said Brax still not acknowledging Kyle's fear, 'Bianca and Heath are next door, Casey's in the caravan park and I can just go back into my old motel room, its fine.'

'That's great thanks, Brax...isn't it?'

'Yeah it is, anyway we'll leave you to it why don't you join us for dinner tonight at Angelo's.' Said Brax

'Sure Brax we'll see you there.' said Greg putting his arm around Kyle who visibly flinched.

As soon as the door had closed behind his brothers Kyle tried to escape to the safety of his bedroom but Greg grabbed his arm and yanked him back harshly 'So your brothers are real then,' said Greg menacingly 'and why do you think they never came for you like you always said they would why do you think that is Kyle?'

'Its because my dad never told them about me.' Replied Kyle

'No it isn't...' Said Greg slapping Kyle harshly causing him to stumble backwards into a wall 'its because they know what I've always known they know that you're worthless!'

Then Greg began hitting Kyle who had backed himself into a corner, after what seemed like forever Greg stopped hitting Kyle who was by now lying on the floor curled up in a ball. Greg threatened Kyle with another kick bringing his foot to just inches before his face, Kyle whimpered in pain and fear as Greg laughed in a sadistic way.

'Get up you little shit you're just as useless as the day you left!' Said Greg 'Now show me my room.'

Kyle began to lead Greg to his room which used to be Casey's room.

'So this is where you've been for the last six months...' Said Greg as he wandered round the room

'No. This is Casey's old room, my room is just down the hall.' Kyle replied sharply.

'What gone frigid all of a sudden don't you remember all the fun we used to have together Kyle?' Asked Greg as he snaked his hand down his step-son's body hovering around his crotch before Kyle shoved him off 'I'll come get you when we have to go.' Said Kyle promptly running to the bathroom and bending over the toilet seat to be sick as all the memories of his childhood came flooding back to him. He then retreated back to his own room shutting the door behind him and curling up on his bed in tears.

A few hours later Kyle and Greg arrived to find Brax, Heath and Casey all seated around a table at Angelo's.

'Hey what happened to your cheek?' Brax asked Kyle who had a bruise on the side of his face from where Greg had hit him earlier, he had also had to put on a long sleeved t-shirt to cover up the hand shaped bruise on his arm from Greg grabbing him as well.

'Oh, its um nothing,' said Kyle 'just my own clumsiness.'

Brax, Heath and Casey shared a look because they all knew that Kyle was in no way a clumsy person plus they had already been discussing Kyle's strange subdued behavior around Greg.

'He always was a bit of a klutz,' laughed Greg as he slung his arm around Kyle who visibly flinched in fear and winced in pain as Greg sunk his fingers into the bruise he had made earlier. 'His brother always was too!'

'Wait who's his brother...' Asked Casey 'What are you talking about?!'

'Oh so they don't know about Matthew do they?' Said Greg as all eyes turned to Kyle.

'Who the hell is Matthew?' Exclaimed Brax

'Well Kyle perhaps you should take this one,' said Greg as he gripped his hand harder around Kyle's bruise 'It wasn't like he was my son either he was your bitch mother's!'

'Don't talk about my mother like that!' Exclaimed Kyle rising from his seat 'You were the only thing wrong with our family, no wonder Matt left it was your fault!'

'Well if I was sooo bad Kyle why didn't he take you with him when he left?!' Exclaimed Greg.

'You wouldn't let him take me he tried to but you were making too much money off me!' Said Kyle on the verge of tears 'He was coming back for me when he had enough money.'

'But he never did he never came back for you did he because he knows that you're a useless little shit!' Shouted Greg at the top of his voice as he punctuated his point with a brutal punch to the face just as Brax and Heath managed to pull him off a sobbing Kyle.

'Get out of here right now!' Screamed Brax to Greg.

'Not until I get my money back!' Greg replied

'What money?' Asked Heath who was now thoroughly confused

'Ask him' said Greg nodding to Kyle

'You know what fine you go back to the house we'll sort this out! But you don't go near him again got it?' Said Brax as he let go of Greg who then left.

Once Greg was gone Brax sat down next to Kyle and hugged him until he stopped crying at least 10 minutes later.

'Ok Kyle you need to tell us everything so we can sort this out and get rid of that guy.' Said Brax

'Ok, basically there was a five year age gap between my brother Matthew and I but we still got on really well and till I was three it was just me, Matt and my mum but then she met Greg and at first he was really nice he would get us presents and take us out for the day so my mum and him got married and that's when he started getting bad. He began hitting my mum for just random little things he'd come home angry and just looking for someone to take it out on, usually he would beat up my mum but sometimes he would just take it out on me or my brother. My mum would always try to stop him from hitting Matty and I too much but then when I was five and Matt was ten she couldn't take it anymore she tried to leave him in the middle of the night with my brother and I but he found her and he shot her but he was a cop you see so no-one would believe us he just said that she killed herself and then he got custody of my brother and me and that was when he really started going downhill...' Kyle paused and took a sip of the water that had been placed in front of him. 'After mum died my brother and I had no-one left to protect us and Greg knew that so that's when he started getting really bad he didn't care what he did to us before mum died we was only physically abusive but when she died he realised he could now do anything he pleased. So this one night I had just turned six and I was in bed and Matty was in his room my step-dad came into my room and I thought he was just going to hit me again but instead he got into bed with me and he started to touch me, at first I didn't really get it but then he started wanting me to touch him and do things with him but I wouldn't do any of it I just lay there frozen crying for Matt to help me but he covered my mouth and then he got on top of me and he raped me.' By now Kyle was sobbing so Heath embraced him until he had calmed down enough to carry on- 'After it happened I ran into Matty's room and woke him up he asked me what had happened but I was only six so I didn't really get what he had done I just knew that it had hurt a lot. Matt realised what had happened but he couldn't be sure so he had to get me to point out what Greg had done on my teddy bear who was actually called 'Danny' after our dad, I know it sounds weird but I actually liked him he was really nice to me but I'll tell you about that later. Anyway after I 'told' Matt he confronted Greg but Greg just broke his leg so that it was harder for Matt to stop him from hurting me. When we were growing up my step-dad had a lot of friends who were just as sadistic as he was but none of them had any kids of their own so they used to come round to use my brother and I as punching bags whenever they wanted. So when my dad started bragging about how he had raped me all of them were interested and that's when he started selling me off for sex to the highest bidder, Matty tried to get them to take him instead but because I was much younger they wanted me. One time when Greg sold me the guy who he let rape me knocked out two of my teeth so he had to take me to our dentist and the dentist kept asking me what had happened so I figured I could trust him, but it turned out he was one of Greg's sick friends too and he took me back to his house and he started beating me and telling me how stupid I was for trusting him...'

'How many Kyle?' Asked Brax 'How many adults hurt you like that?'

'All of the people I knew except for three people. Every single adult I knew from the day my mum died up till now out of all of them only three weren't out to hurt me.'

'Who were they?' Asked Heath

'Two of them are actually you two Brax and Heath...you two were the first to actually want to help me and not expect anything in return,' said Kyle as his three brothers looked on in despair as they heard all the horrible things that had happened to their little brother 'then the third was actually our dad. Danny only came to see me a couple times before mum died and after that he only came once he came to see me when I was six only a couple of weeks before I turned seven. When he came Greg tried to act really nice cause at my mum's funeral dad told him that if anything happened to me he would take me and Matt away and set his gang on him and Greg didn't want to lose his source of income namely me...

FLASHBACK

Greg is at work and Danny, Matt and Kyle are on the living room floor playing a board game when Danny asks 'Boys I need to ask you something and I want you to answer truthfully can you do that?' Matt and Kyle nod

'Ok has Greg ever hurt you in any way?'

Kyle begins to shake his head furiously but Matt says 'Yes, he does all the time he beats us every day and he let's his friends hit us.'

'Ok I'll report that I'm not letting you get hurt again!'

'That's not all he did he sexually abuses Kyle and he prostitutes him out to all his friends for money!'

'Is this true Kyle?!' Asked Danny

'He won't answer if you ask him like that he doesn't really get what those words mean. Hey Kyle look at me you need to tell your Daddy something ok' Kyle nods 'Good boy, you need to tell me does Greg touch you and let his friends hurt you too?' Kyle nods weakly and begins crying as he is pulled into a strong embrace from his father.

'Daddy' says Kyle

'Yeah buddy' answers Danny

'Will you make him stop please Daddy I want him to stop' begs Kyle

'I promise you he'll never hurt you again daddy's here now,' says Danny as he hugs Kyle tighter but in return he flinches and winces in pain 'Kyle I need you to show me what Greg did. Matt does he have any bruises on him?'

'I'm not sure I don't really check anymore' said Matt

'Matt do you have any?' Asks Danny

'Yeah do you want me to show you' says Matt as Danny nods as he takes of his shirt to reveal a matrix of bruises, scars and burns

'That bastard I have to get you out of here' exclaims Danny

'I'm sorry to say this but Kyle's are actually worse.' Says Matt as he takes of Kyle's shirt for him and shows him Kyle's chest and back which is covered in bite marks, scars from belts, bruises and cigarette burns.

END OF FLASHBACK

Kyle pauses

'What happened then?' asked Casey

'Then Greg came home and Danny told him he was taking us away but Greg just called his cop friends who had hurt me and Matt and blackmailed them into helping him frame Danny then Danny went to prison and we went back to Greg. The last thing our dad told me was that you guys existed and that he'd somehow get you guys to come get me and Matt but he never got the chance I guess. Anyway Greg went on doing everything he had done before to me and Matt but when Matty turned 18 he finished school and we started plotting our escape he was going to university in Sydney and he was going to bring me with him but he never got the chance because Greg figured it out and took me away on the night we were supposed to leave and moved houses with me so Matty couldn't find me. And finally just after I finished school six months ago I stole $2000 from him and ran away to here and that's where we are now.'

'Its ok he's never gonna hurt you again I'll make sure he doesn't.' Said Brax as he pulled Kyle into a hug but instead Kyle winced in pain 'Kyle do you have any bruises on you right now?' Kyle nods 'can you show us just so we can check you're ok?'

'Ok I guess' said Kyle as he pulled his shirt over his head to reveal the horrific scars and burns he had gotten as a child at the hands of Greg Carter and in that moment Brax knew what he had to do.

'Kyle this is what we're going to do we are going to go down to the police station and report this,' Kyle shook his head vigorously 'No way, he'll kill me!'

'He's not gonna get anywhere near you I'll get a couple of the boys to watch him and then once we've reported him I'm going to find Matt for you ok now is there anything you want to do?' Said Brax

'I know this could be hard for you guys but I really want to see Danny I wanted to thank him for trying to stop Greg is that ok?'

'Yeah sure we'll come with you.'

The next day a report had been made to the police who had brought in Greg and all four brothers were sitting in the prison yard waiting to see Danny. When Danny walked through the door he caught sight of Brax, Heath and Casey first but then he saw Kyle and he began to walk faster towards the son he had been forced to leave behind all those years ago...


End file.
